Back to news and opinion index page for links to archived stories | Commentary | Our YouTube page
2023 Tour de France | 2023 Giro d'Italia
Every strike brings me closer to the next home run. - Babe Ruth
David L. Stanley's masterful telling of his bout with skin cancer Melanoma: It Started with a Freckle is available in print, Kindle eBook and audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Upcoming racing:
Latest completed racing:
The team posted this news:
New Zealander Logan Currie (22) will join Lotto Dstny in 2024. The promising young rider will strengthen the team in hilly races and smaller stage races.
Logan Currie
“I’m still very young, but I consider myself as a GC-rider and time trial specialist”, says Logan. “I’m really looking forward to join Lotto Dstny next year and I think I will learn a lot in this new environment. The team invested a lot in the performance cell and I’m convinced I can make a lot of progress in this new team.”
Currie is from New Zealand, but knows Belgium very well. As a young rider he lived three years in our country, 1 year near Bruges, 1 year near Oudenaarde and 1 year in Avelgem when he raced for a continental team. “But I’m not a cobble or classic specialist. I love racing here, but I’m more a rider for the GC and a time trial specialist. I want to help the team in hard climbing races or chase the escapees in flat stages for our sprinters. I want to support the team as much as possible and when I get the chance to go for an own result, I will grab this opportunity with both hands.”
The New Zealander signed a contract for one year, in 2024. “Logan is still a very young, but a promising rider”, says sports manager Kurt Van de Wouwer. ‘We don’t have a lot of riders with his profil and he will strengthen our team in the smaller stage races and in races with a hilly parcours. Together with our performance cell we believe he can take the next step in our team.”
Here’s the team’s news:
Team Jumbo-Visma is taking the next step in talent identification and development. The Dutch cycling team will work closely with the JEGG-De Jonge Renner Academy junior team.
The creation of the Jumbo-Visma Development Team in 2020 was a milestone in the history of the Dutch cycling team. Eight riders have been promoted to the WorldTour team since then. Three more will be promoted in 2025. Seventeen riders from the Jumbo-Visma Development Team have gone on to become professional cyclists.
"Developments in cycling are moving fast", development director Robbert de Groot says. "When we started the Development Team, there were only five professional teams with a development team; now there are twenty. There is more and more support for talented riders at progressively younger ages. Because of this more intensive support, they are developing faster. We have a certain vision to guide talented juniors and U23 riders. By collaborating with JEGG-De Jonge Renner Academy - a highly respected cycling club in the Netherlands with a significant track record and professional structure - we want to follow talented riders more intensively in their development at an earlier stage."
"The average age of WorldTour riders is getting younger and younger", Sporting Director Merijn Zeeman adds. "This makes the role of thorough and professional talent development increasingly important. With CyclingClassNL, we contribute to developing talent in the Netherlands. The cooperation with JEGG-De Jonge Renner Academy allows us to contribute to developing Dutch and international talent. At the same time, many other young riders will benefit as we share our knowledge and expertise with one of the strongest clubs in the Netherlands."
With CyclingClassNL, Team Jumbo-Visma, the KNWU and the NOC*NSF already support a project to better support young, talented riders. This project will continue. Thanks to the cooperation between Team Jumbo-Visma and JEGG-De Jonge Renner Academy, several CyclingClassNL riders will now be offered a tailor-made international racing programme. In addition, several riders from other European countries will become part of the junior team. "We provide knowledge, equipment and a network; JEGG-De Jonge Renner Academy provides an existing structure full of experience and an international competition programme", De Groot summarises. "By reaching out to the junior peloton this way, we can ultimately make better decisions about which riders to include in our development or WorldTour team."
The Oosterhout-based cycling club is enthusiastic about the collaboration with the Dutch WorldTour team. "This is our way of contributing to the development of talented riders", says Hugo Brenders, who will manage the junior team. "We used to have our own continental elite and under-23 team linked to our club. It has been our ambition for a long time to create such a team again. But when you see how the world of cycling has changed in recent years, you have to ask yourself what the added value of another continental team would be. What would we add to the cycling landscape? By working with Team Jumbo-Visma, we will play a clear and distinctive role in the international cycling pyramid."
The team posted this:
Team TotalEnergies is delighted to announce the extension of Julien Simon’s contract for a further season.
Having arrived in 2023, Julien Simon will represent Team TotalEnergies for a fifth consecutive season.
Julien Simon at the 2017 Tour du Haut Var where he finished second in the GC to Arthur Vichot.
Julien’s words…
On his extension:
“I’m very happy to be extending my contract by another year, which was one of the goals I set myself. It’s great to be able to spend another season with the team.”
On his goals for next season:
“I have a few ideas in mind for this season.”
“As far as my goals are concerned, it will be a continuation of what I’ve been able to achieve, and I hope to have a bit more personal success. I haven’t been spared a few unlucky blows like falls or health problems… The aim will be to be able to fulfil my potential again and quickly get back to the performance and results side of winning.”
“For me, it will also be important to coach and help the younger riders in the team, and guide them in their approach to the big races. I know I’ll have a real role to play in that aspect.”
A word for the team:
“I’m very happy to be back with the whole team for 2024, it will be an important year with a renewal and a lot of young people. For my part, I’ll be one of the oldest players, so I’m looking forward to putting all my experience to good use, but also to playing a part in the season both on the pitch and behind the scenes.”